Transfer News: Chelsea face fresh Bayern Munich competition for Aaron Hickey

Bayern Munich have reportedly joined the race for Hearts defender Aaron Hickey, who is already being tailed by the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and more.

Daily Mail report of the entry of new suitors in the race for Aaron Hickey. The Hearts defender was already a well sought-after star, with the likes of Chelsea, Lazio, Manchester City, Crystal Palace, AC Milan and Celtic interested. But, Bayern Munich have become the latest high-profile club to take interest in Hickey.

Aaron Hickey has managed to capture the imagination of every Hearts fan with his performances in his maiden senior campaign. The 17-year-old, who once jumped ship and joined Celtic before returning to Hearts, has become a core member of the first-team setup at Tynecastle Park.

A key feature in his 22 appearances in the SPFL – 30 in all competitions this season – has been his versatility. Hickey has played all across the backline and up ahead in wide midfield, thus accentuating his profile as a utility man along with a defender with a high ceiling.

Hickey had also become the youngest ever player to start in a Scottish Cup Final when he started for Hearts against Celtic in the 2019 final. The 17-year-old has been garnering attention from high-profile clubs for a while now and the news of Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester City being interested shouldn’t surprise anyone.

While Hickey is a versatile youngster, he is predominantly a left-back, a position that both Chelsea and Manchester City are looking to reinforce. Chelsea have been linked with, Ben Chilwell a lot and while the English international is likely the priority target, Frank Lampard’s gung-ho approach in providing opportunities to youngsters could pave the way for first-team minutes for Hickey.

Bayern Munich’s interest stems from the fact that David Alaba has been drawing interest from fellow bigwigs like Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid. While Alaba is unlikely to leave in the summer and Alphonso Davies has virtually taken over at left-back, the Bavarians would like to have a replacement in place should Alaba end up leaving.

Hearts look set to lose Hickey and maybe other stars, with the club facing relegation from the SPFL top flight. The Scottish club could rake in a fair amount of money through Hickey’s sale in summer in order to restructure their squad, should the worst case scenario end up playing out.

Chelsea, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and more are likely to oblige to Hearts wanting to sell Hickey, if push comes to shove.